Players: All NPCs in the Sect Are Moles

The look in Mr. Zhao's eyes as he watched the players instantly shifted from seeing them as 'brutes' to 'gods'. He even began to wonder, 'If I report this case, will I get some of the credit for participating?'

Just as Mr. Zhao's mind began to race, a flustered Li Hanlin roared at the servants still frozen to the side, "What are you all gawking at?! Get them! Stop them! I'll give a hundred taels of silver to anyone who can stop them!"

Lured by the immense reward, the servants, though terrified, charged at the players with bloodshot eyes and strange cries.

Li Hanlin, meanwhile, tried to use the chaos as a diversion to slip away through the back hall.

However—BANG! BANG! BANG! Before the servants could even get close, the players charged forward like tigers pouncing on sheep.

The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, an utter rout.

Soon, everyone, including Li Hanlin, was tied up like rice dumplings, ready to be hauled back to the government yamen in one fell swoop. But as the players looked at the courtyard full of "spoils," a wicked fire still smoldered in their hearts.

[Anhe City—City Patrol Guard Channel]

[One Sword To Rule Them All]: Dammit, this sucks! We players work our asses off doing quests and leveling up, but we're still stuck with system restrictions that keep us from killing people whenever we want. Meanwhile, these NPCs can just decide to bury people alive as sacrifices, and it's fucking *legal*! I heard there's a group of rich kids outside the city who hunt refugees for sport. Someone's already gone to deal with them! Have they no fucking shame?!

[Big Bro]: Can't be helped. "Human sacrifice" is legal here. If we use force, we might actually get red-flagged for breaking Daqian Law.

[Heaven Sent Hunk 123]: Then let Miss Su handle it! She's an Immortal. She can't be afraid of getting red-flagged, can she?

[Big Bro]: The problem is... will she? She's an NPC who was born and raised in Anhe City. What if she just sees it as one of the ancestors' traditions?

[One Sword To Rule Them All]: We have to try, whether she'll do it or not! If worst comes to worst, I'll just put on a show for her: "Pleading for the People, a Bloody Spectacle"! I refuse to believe that won't move her! Night City has no living legends!

[Biqu Country Go 4]: I get the feeling Miss Su is a good person. She'll probably step in. God, back on the Jade Dragon Continent in the Biqu Dynasty, I got totally screwed by that idiot emperor's "Elixir of Immortality" questline! I think this could be fun! I've been sick of these feudal dynasties for a while. Why don't we just overthrow this one and build our own Nocturnal City!

[Mr. Wang]: You know what? Let's just do it! We can organize a copy of the *2077 Comprehensive Law Book* from the real world and send it directly to Miss Su! Let her see what a "civilized society" looks like!

[One Sword To Rule Them All]: Holy shit! That could actually work!

[Heaven Sent Hunk 123]: Work my ass! That's the same as declaring war on the entire Daqian Dynasty! A clash of two systems? You trying to crown yourselves king? The Daqian Dynasty has Dragon Qi; it's nothing like Biqu Country. Every city has orthodox sects backing it, and the royal capital has retainers from several major sects. You think we can win? What happens when we go to other zones in Daqian? We'll be red-flagged on sight!

[Mr. Wang]: What's to be afraid of? So we get red-flagged in the dynasty's territory. We just won't hang out in this dynasty anymore. It's not like it's a permanent flag. Besides, if things go south, Miss Su is the one in charge. She'll take the heat.

[Light of the Righteous Path]: Heh heh, exactly! Anyway, we've got the tall one, Miss Su, to take the fall. We can worry about it if she can't handle the pressure. Besides, how many Immortals have you seen who are actually bored enough to meddle in the stupid affairs of mortals? Aren't most of them busy with their Cultivation? We finally snagged a willing one in Miss Su, so we've got to farm her for all she's worth!

[Biqu Country Go 4]: Exactly! If we actually pull this off, with Miss Su leading the charge and us following behind, we'll have earned the "Merit of Aiding the Dragon's Rise"! Once it's a done deal, we can establish a dynasty that's deeply tied to us players, right? This place could even become our "Land of the Dragon's Ascension"!

[Biqu Country Go 4]: Besides, Miss Su can't spend all day managing government affairs, can she? She has to cultivate! In the end, what's the point if the management authority just falls to some native NPC? It might as well be me! I may not have the money to play the sect-building route, but I'm pretty damn good at management sims!

[Mr. Wang]: Bullshit. I may be a free-to-play player, but I've played plenty of management games too. I think I'm the right man for the job! Still, a dynasty run by us players... that's definitely got potential! After all, not many rogue-style players like us ever manage to get into the dynasty's upper management in this game. Hell, not many even make it into local government.

[One Sword To Rule Them All]: ...The risk is huge, but if we actually succeed, it could be really interesting... Heh heh heh heh heh! I pledge to support Miss Su's ascension to the throne!

[Heaven Sent Hunk 123]: Me too! But just so we're clear, if we can't beat the imperial army and the NPC sects, I'm the first one to bail! Heh heh heh heh heh!!!

[Mr. Wang]: Same here! If it's a lost cause, I'll definitely run faster than you!

[Biqu Country Go 4]: Can't you guys have a little more backbone?!

...

Just as everyone in the City Patrol Guard Channel was excitedly chattering about their grand blueprint to "crown an Immortal and found a kingdom"...

「Outside the mountain gate of the Guixi Sect.」

A young cultivator stood uneasily on the silent, scorched earth. His name was Lu Ping, his Cultivation was at the peak of Qi Refining, and he was part of a new batch of "spies" dispatched by the Celestial Furnace Sect.

He looked at the barren land before him, where not a single blade of grass grew. Then he looked up at the distant mountain gate, which seemed dark and foreboding under the sunlight, and felt a wave of exhaustion.

He had a good idea why he'd been chosen for this undercover mission... To put it bluntly, the Celestial Furnace Sect was running out of disciples in the Qi Refining Stage.

The ones with even slightly superior Spirit Roots had all reached Foundation Establishment long ago, even if they slacked off on their training, thanks to the pills the sect handed out.

Only he, with his mediocre Spirit Root and his habit of neglecting cultivation—'Ugh, training is so tiring, I just want to slack off'—was stuck at the bottleneck of peak Qi Refining, unable to advance.

'Sigh...' Lu Ping sighed to himself.

'Who would have thought I'd have to pay for all my past laziness with such a risky assignment? Now my karma has come due, and I've been shipped off to what they all call a demonic sect.'

He then thought of his master, Mr. Huohua.

Just a few days ago, when the elder returned, he had looked smug and satisfied. He'd said he had taken on a Direct Disciple and brought back some heaven-sent opportunity and a great secret.

At the time, Lu Ping had been overjoyed, thinking his master's luck was finally turning. He might get a promotion and no longer have to perform the miserable chore of collecting the annual "Tithing" from subordinate sects.

'If Master strikes it rich,' he'd thought, 'won't I, his disciple, get to sip some of the broth and get a few more cultivation resources?'

But he never expected that just a few days later, a bolt would strike from a clear blue sky.